Selling A Collection, Best Method?

Seeking advice on the best way to go here. I have two collections I haven't done much with for quite awhile. I am expanding into new areas and could use some extra funds in my stamp budget. Both re in the Latin America area, Guatemala and Mexico.

The Guatemala is quite nice. I guess perhaps 90% complete up to 1940. After that still pretty complete up to the 60's, most sets complete unused with some NH but not many. A similar lot recently sold for $325 on ebay. Mexico not so comprehensive, maybe 500 in a nice Scott album, good for expansion.

I doubt I would get back what I have in them but do not want to get low-balled either and that's what I fear if I sell on ebay. Also the 12 picture limit is confining.

Any advice welcome. If I decide to use ebay I need to get moving before the Holidays.

I've also been thinking this over lately. I'd go for ebay if it weren't for the problem of photographs - although one alternative would be to use a middleman to do the listing. I plan to submit the collections I no longer wish to keep that have decent value - i.e have the potential to hit £300-500 plus - to one of the lower/mid-range auction houses I regularly buy from. You could try that, perhaps grouping them together (plus other material if available) as a Central American lot. Or the auction house may make you an offer as an alternative to selling on commission.

Well, the smaller the pieces you break it into, the more you'll likely realize in the end. The question is how much effort you want to put into it. If you sell the collection complete, most collectors won't need all of it and will bid accordingly. If you want to maximize your return, you may want to consider selling them as sets or a few pages at a time. This would also make it easier to stay within the 12-picture limit.

I am thinking along those lines; splitting off the pre 1940 stuff on the Guatemala. Maybe selling some better sets singly on the later and also with the Mexico.

I recall a couple years back listing a near complete 1945-1990 mint collection of Czechoslovakia on ebay and getting $89 for it. Cannot blame the buyer, my fault for not placing a reserve on the thing.

The best I have witnessed (not first hand) was, as Geoff suggested, using an ebay "power lister" agent /middleman.
Something along the lines, you sell by Page / Pages, you supply the images,
the agent lists and sells on ebay, and takes an agreed commission.

The example I refer to, the vendor and agent were known to each other, the collection was substantial, and the result was praised by the vendor. (netted above $20,000 if I recall correctly)

How you select your agent for expertise, ebay knowledge and faithful personal customers to the agent, will be the tricky part.




I don't favour this method,
for the "progressing collector", a page/pages of stamps, can be appraised by the
prospective buyer, for gaps in his/her own collection, and will be a stronger influence to purchase, rather than singe good sets, which then, you are left with stamp oddments of lower rated examples.

Full page/pages, make good "window dressing" for potential buyers.

I would think selling by set or by page is the way to go.

Jack Kelley

The Czech price isn't really out of line with the norm - amazing how little you can pick Czech collections up for.

There are 2 problems with selling your collections via public auction. Most if not all SAN level auction houses have minimum consignment values. Several years ago Dutch Country had a $1000 estimated value minimum, it may be different now. The second problem with consigning to a public auction is that it takes several months to get your money. You have to wait for your items to be lotted into an auction, wait while the catalogs are created and distributed and then a few weeks for the auction to take place and then there is a 45-60 day wait for payment. It usually takes 4 to 6 months.

Selling on ebay is a viable alternative and I think the prices are competitive. I usually break collections up into logical chunks. I will list 1840-1940, 1941-1950, Airmails, Semis etc. Bidders seem comfortable with that. However in your case you have a collection in a binder and breaking it up may cost you a little.

My suggestion would be to break your collection into logical pieces that fit within the 12 picture limit. Then I would list them all at the same time and be sure and mention that the complete collection is for sale. With a little luck you'll get a couple people that will try and run the table and buy it all and you'll get some good bidding.

Several years ago a local auction had a nice 15 part Minkus collection for sale and I really wanted it. I begged the auctioneer to sell it in pieces and then do an upset auction where people could bid for the whole thing. He wouldn't do it and I tried to run the table. Once the other bidders saw what I was trying to do it got ugly. I got all 15 parts but at a much higher price than I would have liked.

What I have decided is to split the Guatemala into two parts; one pre 1940 and the rest as a remainder collection along with the album. I was able to get by with 12 pictures on each although I had to resort to camera shots of multiple pages on the less valuable stuff. Hope to get these up today and will post a link to them on the appropriate portion of this site. Will see how this goes, then list the Mexico next.